2013-09-26 Neighbourhoods celebrate Bloom awards

People from 35 Nottingham neighbourhoods who have been working to make their area a greener, cleaner and friendlier place to live are celebrating their achievements with Britain in Bloom ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ Awards.

Thousands of residents across the city are involved in greening and cleaning up their own areas in liaison with Nottingham in Bloom. Many groups have their efforts recognised officially by entering the awards, which are run by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Assessors visited each group in July and awarded marks for horticulture, environmental responsibility and community participation. Certificates were presented at Wollaton Park Community Centre in Harrow Road in Wollaton by Jeff Bates, Chair of East Midlands in Bloom – with eight groups receiving the highest award of ‘Outstanding.’

The award for the Most Inspiring project amongst the 135 groups in the East Midlands was presented to St Ann’s Projects, for their efforts in turning a forgotten patch of land in Moffat Close into the Zig Zag Community Garden. At least 40 local people attend each monthly gardening session, with more than 200 people involved overall.

Carly Williams and Martin Sommerville, who lead the group, said: “We’re very proud of what everyone has made happen on the Zig Zags. We feel totally humbled and really excited to keep growing.”

Councillor Malcolm Wood, Chair of the Nottingham in Bloom Working Group, said: “Congratulations to all the neighbourhood groups, who are doing so much to improve their own environment and instil a sense of pride and community spirit across the area. Many of these projects have sparked an interest amongst people who have never been involved in gardening before and we hope that many more will be inspired to get involved in the future.”

The Neighbourhood Bloom groups also played an important part in Nottingham’s Gold Medal winning entry into the East Midlands in Bloom competition, with 25% of the marks allocated for community participation.